The night before I left Palampur, Joginder informed me that the only bus leaving the next day for Amristar left at 4:30 in the morning. I stumbled out of bed to the slightly early, but much-welcomed badgering of Joginder, who had graciously stayed the night to see me off in the morning, and headed up the road to the catch the bus. Seven hours later, I arrived in Amritsar, the most hectic place I had been since Delhi. It took a little getting used to, and I ended up putting my faith in a cycle rickshaw man to get me to a well-priced guesthouse in the center of town. After grabbing a bite to eat, I decided to explore the city and wander towards the main tourist attraction, the Golden Temple. After about forty-five minutes of wandering the streets, I found myself at the temple's shoe depository, so I stowed my shoes and headed inside just after dark. It was quite a beautiful sight; a temple with an entirely gold exterior situated in the middle of a vast pool within the brilliant white complex. And, at night, the lights illuminated the gold brilliantly as the pilgrims said their evening prayers.
The next day, I met a few fellow travelers at the hotel and decided to go grab some grub. The four of us, a Dane, a Brit, a Swede and myself, headed into town. A few of use were craving a taste of the West, so we settled on Domino's Pizza. A vegetarian pizza and a Coke over some good conversation left us satisfied. Afterwards, we wandered the town for a bit, and after stopping to visit the Cave Temple, the Swedish fellow and I, at the other two's recommendation, headed to the Pakistani border to watch a nightly border closing ceremony. Here, the Pakistani and Indian border guards partake in an elaborate, hour-long showcase of marching and yelling culminating in the a closing of the gates for the day. The rivalry between the nations is intensified by the large amount of locals who show up to join the chanting from large grandstands on both sides of the border. It was quite a spectacle as some of the marching is a bit unique, and legend has it the Monty Python skit "Ministry of Silly Walks" was based on this ceremony. While heading back to Amritsar after the ceremony, we chatted with an Indian gentleman from Bangalore about India history and the rivalry with Pakistan. During our conversation, we noticed a copious amount of self-portraits being taken in the seat in front of us. After peering over the shoulder of the fellow taking the photos, we could see he was trying to angle the camera to capture me and the Swedish fellow, Arvit, as we were the only white people around. Although getting my picture taken with locals has happened fairly regularly on my trip , it has not happened anywhere more than in India. Once we noticed this clandestine attempt, and the fact that the cameraman was not quite satisfied with his shots yet, Arvit and I started making funny faces when he took the photos. We all had a good laugh once he reviewed the pictures and could tell that we were onto him! Back in Amritsar, we spent the night chatting with the Dane, the Brit, as well as a Spanish guy we met at the border who also happened to be staying at the same hotel. Great night!
Monday was a slow day. After Skyping away the morning, I headed to the Dera at Beas, a large ashram an hour outside of Amritsar. This was at the recommendation of Manjit, a former coworker from back home who is from Punjab. And it did not disappoint! The place was massive, and entirely self-sufficient. Though I did not stay, guests are provided free room and basic meals in exchange for light volunteer work, and you can stay as long as you like. The entire complex was immaculate. While exploring, I met a retired Indian-American gentleman named Macinder, or Mac, after I complimented his Augusta National cap. We chatted and he told me a bit of his story: he lived in the States for thirty years, and his two sons, both doctors, still lived there. Now retired, he lived in the ashram full time and explained that it can house approximately 400,000 residents at a time! There were dormitories and apartment complexes stacked next to each other as far as the eye could see, so I have no reason to doubt the figure. There were banking facilities and large congregation centers for the religious ceremonies. Quite a beautiful place, and a fascinating, if brief, look into the ashram culture. After a short train ride back to Amritsar, I met a Japanese traveler at the hotel and decided another trip to the Golden Temple was worth it. On our way, we stopped off for a fantastic thali at Brother's Dhaba and then had another evening stroll through the the amazing temple.
After that, I was ready to move on. So, the next morning, I went for one more final stop at the temple to watch sunrise, since I had not seen it in daylight. There, I met Arowind, a gentleman from Kolkata who was a regular visitor to the temple. He invited me fora free cup of chai and biscuits at the temple cafeteria, which supplies free meals during the day for pilgrims, and we discussed the Sikh religion and it's importance in the world. Arowind even tried, impressively but ultimately unsuccessfully, to convert me to Sikhism. We parted ways, and I headed back to the hotel to a welcomed message from my friend Manjit informing me I could stay with her uncle and his family in their village in Punjab. I was so excited to meet some local people. I have found while traveling that frequently, despite my best efforts, I am confined to the tourist attractions and a limited segment of the population which is accustomed to tourism. So I am always grateful to meet local people and learn from their perspective. I was quite excited for my stay in rural Punjab. I took a bus to Nawanshar, about three hours from Amritsar, and met with Manjit's cousins Baljit and Mandeep, as well as Mandeep's father; Manjit's uncle. On the way to their house in the village of Dayal, we stopped by the local grain market, where the family's just-harvested crop was being weighed and bagged prior to being sold at the market. There, we met Baljit's father, another of Manjit's uncles, who was to accompany us the next day around Punjab. We headed back to their home, and Mandeep's mother made a terrific dinner, prior to which we chatted for a while. However, as only Baljit and to a lesser extent Mandeep, knew English, we had a little difficulty but ultimately a great time talking about the next day's adventures. Lastly, to my great surprise, I was informed at dinner that a Skype call was ready from home. Sure enough, the computer opened and there was Manjit, sitting at the desk I had visited a thousand times back in Bothell, WA, and we started chatting. She called over a few more of the old work crew for a good ol' fashioned reunion. There was much ado over my new look. What a great cap to the day!
The next day, we started early on our tour of Punjab. But before we did, we had a tremendous breakfast consisting of fresh parantha, curd and a lassi. And, all the dairy was courtesy of the families cows, kept just down the road in their stables. Our first stop was a Sikh temple overlooking the town of Anandpur. It is a beautifully maintained temple, and we spent about an hour taking in the morning prayers and the views of the town. After visiting the temple, we visited Baljit's great uncle's house and had a cup of chai and some good conversation before heading to a Sikh museum a few minutes away. The museum was great, complete with an audio guide describing the history of the Sikh religion from its foundations and struggles throughout history. Next, it was decided to visit a hilltop temple just over the border in Himachal Pradesh, the next province. An hour's drive winding up the hills later, we reached the parking lot of the Naina Devi temple. The climb to the temple lasted about thirty minutes, mainly consisting of stairs, with the highlight being Baljit and I making a new friend; a six-foot snake you could hold for just five rupees. Once at the temple, we waited for about an hour to reach the main shrine and pay our respects as the place where the Mother of Hinduism's eyes were laid. Her body was spread over India, and this was the final resting place of her eyes; many people were there to worship. Afterwards, near the temple, Baljit and I climbed through a small cave, which required some rather crafty maneuvering on our parts, to visit another temple inside the mountain. On our way back to Dayal, we stopped in Anandpur for some samosas drenched in a spicy sauce that were absolutely incredible, before getting some bananas and bread to feed the monkeys on the side of the road. After getting home, we rested for a bit before another fine meal of chapati, raita and a spicy vegetable dish all made fresh, and passed the evening playing a card game with Baljit and Mandeep. After a wonderful time, I decided I should be moving on, as I had imposed on Manjit's family last-minute and I still had a few more sights to see in India before I left. What a great day and a half through Punjab though! Incredible memories!
The next morning, after a final meal of parantha and curd with a lassi, I headed off to Jaipur, in Rajasthan; a trip that would end up taking about 24 hours. After being informed that the one bus from Nawanshar to Delhi for the day was cancelled due to a strike, I headed off on a connecting bus, and made it to Delhi in the afternoon. With about six hours to kill before the overnight bus to Jaipur, I wandered the streets of Delhi--including a brief walk through Old Delhi--was kicked out of the metro for sitting and reading (despite paying a fare), and was harassed by a pack of wild dogs on my way back to the bus station. Finally, on my way to the bus, I saw the Delhi Police van for the Bomb Squad Unit parked nearby. I was relieved when the bus finally pulled out of the station at ten o'clock. At about two in the morning, a vicious smoke started emitting from the gear shift next to the driver. The bus pulled over and the driver started making some phone calls, and we were informed that the bus had broken down and we had to wait for another bus passing in the same direction. I felt like I had accomplished a traveling rite of passage: a broken-down bus. Of all the sketchy buses I've taken over the last four months, this was the first to break down. The excitement was short lived, however, as we were crammed onto an already full bus for the remaining three hours to Jaipur, and I ended up sitting sideways on the floor not getting much sleep. But, after arriving, I found the only other two foreigners on the bus, two nice German girls named Lina and Lola, and asked if I could share a rickshaw to their hotel, as I hadn't any hotel booked and no guidebook for Jaipur. Had they refused my request, I would have been at the mercy of the questionable rickshaw men of the bus station. To my luck, however, they agreed and we grabbed a rickshaw to the nearest hotel in their Lonely Planet. After arranging a room, I crashed for the morning, awaking ready to see Jaipur.
After a fruitless search for internet to send a message home, including being taken by a friendly local to "his brother's shop" where at least I got a cup of chai, I headed back to the hotel a little dejected after a wasted day in Jaipur. On my way, however, I ran across my pals Lina and Lola, headed out for a wander through the old city before their evening bus, and I decided to tag along. We spent the next few hours strolling through the bazaars of the Pink City. After Lina and Lola departed, I decided to take in a film at the theater, Bollywood style. So, I went around the corner from my hotel to the local cinema and got a ticket for Aashiqui 2, a rom-com as far as I could tell from the poster. Although entirely in Hindi--except for the instances where the characters switched to English for emphasis and drama--and unnecessarily long, the film did not disappoint. The film was complete with an intermission and copious amounts of singing--although the two main characters were pop stars--but surprisingly few choreographed dance numbers. The most striking aspect of the film was the racy love scene. It was much more explicit than I was expecting for an Indian Bollywood film. Quite an enjoyable experience, as the small, mostly male crowd in the theater was animated and cheering throughout the film, especially during the romantic moments.
The next day I arranged to switch hotels, as the one I was in was lacking in internet, as seemed the entire town, and was rather dingy anyway. This turned out to be a very fortuitous decision. I headed to a Lonely Planet recommended hotel a little outside the city center and discovered it was full. But, just across the road was a nice little hotel with a dorm bed available. It was in rather good shape, and for fairly cheap. And, a splendid roommate appeared in the form of a Kiwi traveler visiting Jaipur for a few days. After a miscommunication with some local fellows regarding a possible cricket match, we decided to head to the Old City to check out some more of the sights, and watch the bustling markets in action. On our way out of the market, we both decided we had not seen enough of the city yet. So, we headed south on an evening wander of the city, with the daylight fading and only a small, vague map at our disposal. First, we came across the impressive Albert Hall museuem, built in the 1800's by the British. Unfortunately, it was closed for the evening. So, we continued onward through the outskirts of Jaipur and passed the main hospital before running into a Hindu temple. A large, white temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesh, it was set up from the road with a great view of south Jaipur. We sat watching the crowds come in to worship before closing time. Then, like Supertramp, we took the Long Way Home, walking around the golf club and polo grounds, and across from the main cricket ground of the Rajasthan Royals, and picking up mango and chocolates for a nutritious dinner.
The next day, after the taxi-man I had arranged to take me on a tour of Jaipur failed to show--a miscommunication it turned out--Amber, my Kiwi friend and roommate, and I hit the town to take in some more of the tourist sights of Jaipur. Our first stop was Jantar Mantar, an entire complex devoted to different aspects of astrology. Right next door we toured Hawa Mahal, a large palace with a five story screened facade built so the maharajah's wives could watch the festivities in Jaipur without being seen. The top story had great views of the Old City that we soaked in before deciding to hop a local bus out to the Amber Fort, an old fortress and palace formerly home to the maharajah of Jaipur. The fort was nice, in parts, but some of it was rather run down, and left me wanting. The mirror palace, a small structure built of marble set with a mosaic of small mirrors and stones, was the highlight for me. Afterwards, we crossed the road from the Amber Fort and climbed to the outer wall of the fort, at the crest of the ridge a few hundred yards high. And the views were tremendous, both of the northern suburbs of Jaipur and the Amber Fort, which we caught just as the sun was setting behind it. A truly majestic sight. We headed back down and watched the first few minutes of a very disappointing Sound and Light show at the Amber Fort, and although we couldn't hear much of the sound--because admission was a whopping 400 rupees!--what we did manage to hear was terribly weak. Then, it was back to Jaipur for another night of mango and chocolate, but as the fruit stands were closed for the night, we had to settle for fresh street-side mango juice to accompany our chocolate. Finally, we capped the night off with the second half of Manchester United and Arsenal's 1-1 draw at the Emirates, before calling it a night.
The next morning--our last in Jaipur, as we were both heading off to other parts of India--we decided to get some breakfast with our new roommate who arrived late in the night; another Kiwi by the name of Max. After stopping off for a quick chai, we headed to Parantha Hut for some Indian grub. Satisfied with our meal, we headed back to the hostel before bidding goodbye and going our separate ways: Max and I shared a rickshaw to the train station to store our bags for the day, while Amber headed for a bus out of town. After the train station, Max and I parted as well, and I headed into Jaipur for the last few sights I missed on the days prior. First stop, though, was the lassi stands outside the old city. For a few minutes, I sipped a tremendous pineapple lassi served in a clay cup, and watched the city fly by, solely a spectator of the chaos. But, as my cup ran dry, I headed back into the mix, dodging scooters, rickshaws, cars and bicycles navigating the hectic streets of this fascinating country. Next stop: Albert Hall Museum. This time it was open, and I had a nice long perusal in the fan-cooled museum as a respite from the hot afternoon sun. After entering through an antique English turnstile, I headed through the Indian history exhibit and Egyptian exhibit before finishing on the second floor with the Indian crafts, jewellery and musical instrument exhibits, and a few good views of Jaipur. Unsure of my next destination, but craving a wander, I ventured forth and ended up following the route Amber and I had taken two days previous, this time making a detour for the local shopping mall in need of another break from the beating sun. The mall had a cinema and I couldn't help but indulge myself in a film. On the menu was Iron Man 3, which, unbeknownst to me, was yet to be released back home. The film was nice, though the 3D was unnecessary in my opinion, and was the perfect passtime to await the cool breezes of the evening. An hour walk after leaving the theater and I made it to the train station where an unsurprisingly poor night's sleep awaited me before my morning train to Agra, my next destination.
Early the next morning, I hopped the express train to Agra excited for its most famous attraction: the Taj Mahal. After arriving, I took a rickshaw to Taj Ganj, the area due south of the Taj Mahal where most of the hostels are located, and booked a night in the appropriately named Shanti Lodge. With an incredible view of the Taj Mahal from their overpriced rooftop restaurant and a warm and helpful staff, the Shanti Lodge was a great crash pad for a quick trip to the Taj. I checked in and headed to get some more affordable eats, stopping at the Lonely Planet recommended Taj Cafe, just a few doors down. There, I had a wonderful curry, parantha, and their famous Mixed Fruit Lassi, which was truly delightful. I needed a walk after that meal so I headed to the train station a few kilometers away, solicited by no fewer than ten bicycle rickshaw drivers absolutely stunned that I would attempt such a suicidal walk in the heat and offering a very good price to save me from my stupidity, all of whose offers I pleasantly declined. Until, that is, I was about one kilometer out and a kindly rickshaw driver said that he was headed my way and would take me for free, and that price was right. As he drove he asked the two most common questions I received in India: where I was from and whether I was married. Following my response to the latter question in the negative, he gave me the typical response: an incredulous, "WHY?" I still don't have a good answer. I just shrugged my shoulders and attempted, with only occasional success, to convey the fact that it is not unusual in the states. Then, I politely changed the subject. That seemed to work well. He dropped me off at the station, before continuing on his way home--to his wife and kids, of course--and I headed inside to book a ticket onward to Delhi for the next day. With an afternoon and sunset to kill, I grabbed a bicycle rickshaw--after a fierce negotiation over ten rupees, which I eventually conceded--to the Agra Fort, the main palace in the city. I toured the Fort and stuck around for the view of the Taj Mahal at sunset before heading back to Taj Ganj for some grub at Joney's place, a tiny cafe seating about twenty with a kitchen consisting of two burners, a cutting board and a fridge, but serving fantastic meals. Then it was an early night to make sure I was ready to catch the sunrise view at the Taj Mahal.
I woke early and grabbed a quick bite to eat before eagerly heading into the Taj Mahal for sunrise. As the sun rose to the Taj Mahal's left, the white marble lit up and illuminated the countless Quran verse inscriptions adorning the outside. The tranquility of the grounds was impressive, and though the interior was small and dark, the intricacy of the design and decoration, from the calligraphic inscriptions to the marble screen surrounding the shah and his wife's tombs, was quite awesome. Fun fact about the design: The Taj Mahal was placed on a pedestal about 25 feet high so that the viewer would only see the sky in the background. The Taj Mahal's official literature modestly describes this design feature as "genius." After a few hours roaming the grounds and soaking in the view of the Taj, I headed back to my hostel for check-out sensing an upset stomach on the horizon. And so it was, my tummy had turned and I spent the rest of the day awaiting my evening train to Delhi on the couch at the hostel sleeping on and off and generally feeling awful. But, as the hour of my train neared, I regained enough strength to not vomit on the rickshaw ride to the train station and awaited my journey to my final Indian destination: Delhi. I ended up sitting next to a pleasant Indian couple and their three year old son, who was quite fond of exploding high-fives by the time we reached Delhi. And, upon arrival, I had a scramble to make it to the nearest metro station before the last train, and was lucky to meet a young local fellow named Roz, on his way to the same station. After we arrived at the station, I didn't have change to pay the rickshaw man his 10 rupees, so Roz spotted me, but I didn't have a chance to repay him before we parted company on the metro. If you're out there Roz, I owe you ten rupees, and I feel bad I couldn't make it right. But, on the world turned and I headed to the Main Bazaar area of New Delhi to find some accommodation for the night, luckily finding acceptable circumstances at my first stop, where I settled in for the night.
I passed the next few days in Delhi reading and wandering the Connaught Place area, a bit tired of sightseeing and looking to avoid the crowds and heat of the tourist attractions. Though not entirely restful, as pure rest is impossible to come by in the constant commotion of urban India, it was relaxing in it's own way, an Indian way, and was a good send off from a month exploring a tiny corner of this expansive, populated, crowded, hectic, chaotic, and intriguing country. Next stop: Dubai.
